Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1638392 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Volume | 16 |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Jan 2026 |
Abstract
Keywords
- thriving, higher education, remote/in-person instruction, gender, college generation status
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychology(all)
- General Psychology
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In: Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 16, 1638392, 06.01.2026.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - University students' thriving during remote and in-person instruction in the COVID-19 pandemic
T2 - longitudinal evidence from two academic years
AU - Haase, Jannika
AU - Zander, Lysann
N1 - Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2026 Haase and Zander.
PY - 2026/1/6
Y1 - 2026/1/6
N2 - A substantial body of research has demonstrated the negative repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students' mental health and well-being. Less is known about university students' thriving, defined as a specific sense of personal growth encompassing experiences of vitality and learning. Using a longitudinal dataset (N = 431) from a large public university in Germany, we examined how students' thriving developed over the course of two academic years, including five time points from June/July 2020 to February 2022, during which remote instruction (T1–T3), in-person instruction (T4) and, again, remote instruction (T5) were carried out. During the period of remote instruction, we found intraindividual decreases in students' thriving toward T2 in winter 2020/2021. When universities had resumed in-person instruction in winter 2021/2022 (T4), we found intraindividual increases in students' vitality and learning. Intraindividual changes in thriving toward all later time points did not differ by gender or by college generation status. We discuss our findings against the background of the study-related stressors that students faced during remote and in-person instruction, as well as the instructional measures implemented by the respective university over the course of the pandemic.
AB - A substantial body of research has demonstrated the negative repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students' mental health and well-being. Less is known about university students' thriving, defined as a specific sense of personal growth encompassing experiences of vitality and learning. Using a longitudinal dataset (N = 431) from a large public university in Germany, we examined how students' thriving developed over the course of two academic years, including five time points from June/July 2020 to February 2022, during which remote instruction (T1–T3), in-person instruction (T4) and, again, remote instruction (T5) were carried out. During the period of remote instruction, we found intraindividual decreases in students' thriving toward T2 in winter 2020/2021. When universities had resumed in-person instruction in winter 2021/2022 (T4), we found intraindividual increases in students' vitality and learning. Intraindividual changes in thriving toward all later time points did not differ by gender or by college generation status. We discuss our findings against the background of the study-related stressors that students faced during remote and in-person instruction, as well as the instructional measures implemented by the respective university over the course of the pandemic.
KW - thriving
KW - higher education
KW - remote/in-person instruction
KW - gender
KW - college generation status
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105027916627&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1638392
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1638392
M3 - Article
VL - 16
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
JF - Frontiers in Psychology
SN - 1664-1078
M1 - 1638392
ER -